Senators wary about taking a playoff berth for granted

The seven-game losing streak that begin in late January and extended into February might have been the best thing that has happened to the Ottawa Senators all season.
It was an object lesson in the transitory nature of success.
One moment they can’t do anything wrong and win 10 of 12 games.
The next moment they lose seven straight and struggle to keep their heads above the cut line.
So in the aftermath of their fourth straight win, a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals, the Senators resisted the temptation to pat themselves on the back.
With 20 games left, they still need 22 points for the 94 that should be enough to secure a playoff berth.
While the odds are in their favour, the math says that’s slightly more than a point a game, so there’s not a lot of margin for error.
“We’re not a team that can get ahead of itself,” said Nick Foligno.
“You saw that with how we were doing, then it all came crashing down with the losing streak. “We’re a humble team that realizes how hard we have to work every night to get our wins, and I think we’re really proud of that.
“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished. We have a bit of swagger to us, but that’s from how hard we work.
“But no one takes anything for granted. We know how hard we have to fight to stay in a playoff spot.”
The Senators have received some remarkable performances over the last four games, happily from their better players – Craig Anderson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, Milan Michalek, Daniel Alfredsson. That’s a good sign, since their performances will be a key down the stretch.
Anderson said it doesn’t make much sense to watch the scoreboard and think about the big picture. That’s just a distraction.
“You don’t know what the end result is going to be, whether you’re going to need 95 points or 92 to make the playoffs,” he said.
“If we just control our game, control how we come to the rink and prepare, then at the end of the year the points will take came of themselves.
“You’re always looking, ahead of you, behind you. You’re always wondering what’s going to happen.
“But the moment you start relying on other teams to do your job by beating teams that are chasing you, it ends up not working out so well for you.
“It’s looking in the mirror, at the guys in this room, and figuring out how we’re going to accomplish what we want to accomplish.”
One of the more obvious keys to this recent success is starting quickly and scoring the first goal. League statistics show just how much that can improve a team’s chances of winning.
The league-leading New York Rangers, for example, have a record of 28-1-2 when they score the first goal. The Boston Bruins are second with a record of 23-4-0.
By contrast, the Senators are only 20-6-4, which is 18th in the league.
No wonder the emphasis from coach Paul MacLean on getting off to better starts.
Jason Spezza, who could get some consideration in voting for the most valuable player, says the Senators didn’t panic when they were in the midst of their seven-game skid.
Though it might have looked different to their fans, they didn’t think they were too far away from turning it around.
“We just felt we weren’t as sharp, that we weren’t as quick on pucks as we were earlier on when we were winning games,” he said.
“We didn’t feel like we had to change a whole lot. It was just a matter of simplifying things and just being sharper.
“That’s what we talked about at lot – just sharpen up and be a little quicker on pucks.
“I think we’ve done a better job of that lately and that’s why we’re getting results.”
And, like Anderson, he says this isn’t the time to start dreaming about the post-season.
“We haven’t really changed our outlook from the beginning of the year, so there’s no reason for us to change now,” he said.
“We know we’re a team that has to stay in the moment. That’s what’s given us success to this point. You don’t get away from what’s given you success.
“You don’t look at the big picture when you’re doing well. You just look at small blocks.”

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